by Mike Dickman

AirTran Takes a Shot at Southwest (and maybe its passengers)

I just picked this up on AdFreak.com and thought I would put it to the true test of democracy.

First, I ask that you watch each of the videos BEFORE reading my point of view.

After I watched each video, I wondered who AirTran was really attacking. Was it Southwest, which offers a first-come, first-serve policy on seating, or the consumer, who (in AirTran’s opinion) is nothing but a group of cattle waiting to be lead down a chute for boarding?

Southwest’s commercial is funny (in my opinion) and does not poke fun at any specific airline. Their tag line: “Take my bag, not my money” is clever and makes the point about airlines who are now charging for checked bags.

On the other hand, I felt as if AirTran was insulting those of us travelers who don’t mind living by the first-come, first-serve policy. The passengers on their plane appeared as if they were looking down their noses at us “regular folks” as they sat in , what appeared to be, large first class seats.

So, I ask you, do these two videos change your opinion of the airlines? (Leave a comment at the top of this post.)